The Pestalozzi- Fröbel kindergartens are located in Berlin’s Charlottenburg and Schöneberg districts. Key among the traits of these predominantly small centres are their natural position in the local community and their location – apart from three kindergartens in new premises – within flats, small detached houses and other listed buildings. These locations are a historical reminder of the PFH’s beginnings, since the PFH founders always opened centres where demand for child care was most critical.

In order that the kindergartens be tailored as nearly to the parents’ wishes as possible the needs of children and parents alike are centrally assessed by an educational expert.

Each kindergarten has its own distinct character and follows its own set of educational targets. The specific needs of children and parents in the respective catchment areas are as crucial in the designing of the centres as they have always been: the ever-shrinking urban space available for children to play in has influenced the spatial design of kindergartens. Motor aspects of physiology, the ecology and theories governing perception have all been taken into account, and there is ongoing collaboration on the subject with therapists and educators. The social integration of foreign and handicapped children is facilitated by staff members who have special qualifications in this field and continue to be instrumental in optimising the early-learning conditions within the kindergarten for these youngsters. Children with special needs receive ergotherapy and speech therapy.

Ensuring that the highest standards of teaching are maintained at PFH kindergartens is of prime concern to the Foundation. All staff members have for years been expected to attend further training seminars in the area of child care and youth work and such seminars reinforce and deepen employee competence in working with children and young people. The elaboration of qualitative norms for kindergarten teachers began with the establishment of a measurable ‘Settling In’ standard for children. Work to enshrine these qualitative norms continues in coordination with parents, teachers under the aegis of their kindergartens and a department of the PFH. Teachers specialising in kinetics and the children’s musical development cooperate closely with the nursery school teachers themselves to ensure that these disciplines are incorporated into the daily routine. Kindergartens organise the further training of their staff internally, thereby ensuring that employees are continually abreast of developments and the ever-changing demands made upon them in the kindergartens.